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Preserving Pulpit Independence: Lessons from History and Law

Explore the critical need for freedom from government influence in religious matters, drawing on Old Testament parallels, American history, and legal principles. Discover the impact of past judgments on the Church, the role of good and bad leadership, and the founding principles of the US Constitution. Reflect on the significance of upholding this freedom in today's society, with practical applications for safeguarding rights and promoting the Gospel. Be inspired by historical examples and wise words urging vigilance against encroachments on essential liberties.

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Preserving Pulpit Independence: Lessons from History and Law

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  1. Why the Pulpit Must Remain Free From Government Control By Dr. Andy Woods

  2. Why the Pulpit Must Remain Free from Government Control • An Old Testament Pattern • An American Analogy • Points of Application

  3. Why the Pulpit Must Remain Free from Government Control • An Old Testament Pattern • An American Analogy • Points of Application

  4. Israel's Judgments Division of the kingdom in 931 B.C. Assyrian judgment in 722 B.C. Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. (significance of Gen 49:10)

  5. Good and Bad Kings • North-19 kings (all bad) • South-20 kings (8 good)

  6. Why the Pulpit Must Remain Free from Government Control • An Old Testament Pattern • An American Analogy • Points of Application

  7. Founders’ Sources Donald S. Lutz, The Origins of American Constitutionalism (Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1988), 141. 34% Bible 8.3% Baron Montesquieu 7.9% William Blackstone 2.9% John Locke

  8. Declaration of Independence • “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” • “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal,” • “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” • “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions,” • “with firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S., 143 U.S. 457, 467-68 (1892)

  9. Lord Acton “All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

  10. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/state-of-the-union-2013-the-presidents-remarks-on-energyhttp://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/state-of-the-union-2013-the-presidents-remarks-on-energy “I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change…But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”.

  11. Speech by Attorney General Janet Reno, Newark, New Jersey, May 5, 1995. Quoted in James Bovard, “Waco Must Get a Hearing,” Wall Street Journal, May 15, 1995. “You are part of a government that has given its people more freedom…than any other government in the history of the world.”

  12. Ken Klukowski, “Baker Faces Prison for Refusing to Bake Same-Sex Wedding Cake,” online: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/12/Christian-Baker-Willing-to-Go-to-Jail-for-Declining-Gay-Wedding-Cake, 12 December 2013, accessed 16 May 2014. “Jack Phillips is a baker who declined to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because his Christian belief is that marriage exists only between a man and woman. Now a Colorado judge has ordered him to bake cakes for same-sex marriages, and if Phillips refuses, he could go to jail.”

  13. Christian Persecution in a Post-Christian America • An Old Testament Pattern • An American Analogy • Points of Application

  14. So What? Three Points of Application! • Gain knowledge (Hosea 4:6) • Speak up on behalf of your God-given rights (1 Cor. 4:2) • Use your God-given rights to advance the cause of the Gospel (Acts 16:35-40)

  15. So What? Three Points of Application! • Gain knowledge (Hosea 4:6) • Speak up on behalf of your God-given rights (1 Cor. 4:2) • Use your God-given rights to advance the cause of the Gospel (Acts 16:35-40)

  16. So What? Three Points of Application! • Gain knowledge (Hosea 4:6) • Speak up on behalf of your God-given rights (1 Cor. 4:2) • Use your God-given rights to advance the cause of the Gospel (Acts 16:35-40)

  17. Dietrich Bonheoffer “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

  18. So What? Three Points of Application! • Gain knowledge (Hosea 4:6) • Speak up on behalf of your God-given rights (1 Cor. 4:2) • Use your God-given rights to advance the cause of the Gospel (Acts 16:35-40)

  19. Conclusion

  20. Why the Pulpit Must Remain Free from Government Control • An Old Testament Pattern • An American Analogy • Points of Application

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